During my first, brief, visit to Winslow, I noticed a number of large birds scattered among the varied farm animals. Seeing an emu next to a pony was a delight and I’ve devoted some words to these unique characters. I also met the swan, Claudius (a new name added to the register!) that day. It was the first time I’d been so close to one.

Missing from my description was the peacock I saw off in the distance. I had come to think that I might have made him up when I never saw him again. Then on Monday, there he was strutting around, his beautiful plume billowing out behind him. It turns out that he lives by the donkeys who are out past the bigger barn and I’ve yet to have even made it to their house. Because the weather was perking up, the peacock was out for a stroll and he pecked around my corral for a while.

My only experience with peacocks was when an angry mob of them chased me at a chateau in France when I was twelve. I don’t know what I did to them, but boy did I piss them off! My french was still in its first months of learning and I was at the point where I’d walk into a store and ask for something timidly, only to receive a snotty reply in English back. So I must have been saying something to the peacocks like “I hate you! Don’t be my friend! Please bite me!” And they did their damnedest trying. So, I’ve had kind of a bias against them ever since. I was quite surprised, and excited, when Deb told me how sociable this guy is (and that most are, for that matter). Maybe I’ve got peacock petting in my future!